Estelle (musician)

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Estelle Fanta Swaray (born 18 January 1980), simply known as Estelle, is a British singer, songwriter, rapper, actress and producer from West London, England. Estelle is known for her eclectic mix of various musical genres including R&B, soul, reggae, grime, hip hop and dance. She has experienced mainstream success with the single "American Boy" featuring Kanye West, reaching number 1 in the United Kingdom and her collaboration with David Guetta in "One Love".

Estelle Swaray was born and raised in West London, England. Her mother's family came from the West African nation of Senegal, and her father is from the Caribbean island of Grenada. She was the second born of eight children. Estelle's parents were very religious when she was growing up, and secular music was not allowed in the family's home. Instead, spiritual music—particularly American gospel—and traditional African music were what Estelle grew up listening to. However, she would sometimes listen to hip hop when not at home.[3] Her mother was a reggae fan and her dad built homemade speaker cabinets to play music through.

She spent her childhood listening to her parents' reggae records and her aunt's soul collection before discovering hip hop. "I got into hip hop from my uncle; he was always playing us Kool G Rap and Big Daddy Kane; he was a bad boy and my mum wasn't really happy that I was hanging out with him".[4] By the time she was in her early 20s, she had decided on a music career. Estelle got her start in London's renowned hip-hop record store Deal Real. Her fellow employees encouraged her to take a chance and get on the mic on-stage; soon she was playing numerous London clubs and appearing with the likes of Manuva and Rodney P. Local hero Skitz asked her to appear on his 2000 album, Countryman, and soon she landed on albums by artists such as The 57th Dynasty and Blak Twang. She made her solo debut in 2003 with the 12" "Excuse Me", released on the label Paradise Isle.[5]

Her career got a jump-start in the early 2000s when she happened to see Kanye West sitting in a restaurant while on a trip to Los Angeles. Estelle approached Kanye, introduced herself and asked for an introduction to John Legend. She eventually got that introduction, and Legend eventually helped produce two songs on her debut album.[6]

Estelle's debut album, The 18th Day, was released in the UK in October 2004.[3] Her breakthrough track came when "1980" was released by the V2 label and reached number 14 on the U.K. pop chart. A street-level mixtape series called Da Heat and further 12"s like "Free" and "Go Gone" helped build a loyal following, and Estelle gave back to the U.K. hip-hop scene by forming her own Stellarents label to sign new artists. In October 2004, V2 released her album, it took its title after how Estelle's mother almost died while giving birth to the future singer on January 18. The album was a modest success, debuting at No. 35 on the UK albums chart, and generating two top 20 singles. She also received a MOBO (Music of Black Origin) Award in the UK for Best Newcomer.[3][5]

Three years later, US R&B singer John Legend announced that Estelle would be the first signee to his Homeschool label, distributed by Atlantic in the US. Four years after The 18th Day‍ '​s release, Estelle returned with her second album, Shine. Though it was her second album, it was the first to be released in the US and her major-label debut. The pop-ish lead single, "American Boy" featuring Kanye West, was her first international hit and reached the top 10 in at least a dozen countries, including the US, Canada, Ireland, Australia and Turkey.[3] The second album, Shine, was released in April 2008 and peaked at number six in the UK, while "American Boy" topped the UK chart and reached the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 in the US.

Whereas her 2004 debut album, The 18th Day from V2 Records, was totally self-created, Shine marks the first time Estelle has brought other producers and artists into the creative process with her. Kanye West, Swizz Beatz, Wyclef Jean, Will.i.am, Mark Ronson and Cee-Lo Green & Jack Splash all lend talents to the album, executive produced by John Legend. "Her sound is a unique blend of hip hop, R&B, reggae and soul, explains Legend. She has a special voice, unlike any other voice out there in mainstream music, and she can really write. She writes hip lyrics with unforgettable melodies. I recognized that in her when I first worked with her in 2004." He continues, "I'm excited and honored to have Estelle as the first artist on my label, Homeschool Records. I believe the world is going to fall in love with her album, as I already have. Estelle is an amazing talent, and she's going to do big things."[7]

The lead single, "Wait a Minute (Just a Touch)", released in November 2007. In 2008, Estelle rose to fame with her collaboration with rapper Kanye West, titled "American Boy". This song reached the top 10 in many countries worldwide, including the United States and Canada, as well as achieving number-one status on the UK Singles Chart.[8][9] and in Belgium[10] and Israel. The song won many awards worldwide, including Best Rap/Sung Collaboration. It was also nominated for Song of the Year at the 51st Grammy Awards."American Boy" was Number 7 on Rolling Stone‍ '​s list of the 100 Best Songs of 2008.[11] The song was nominated for the 2009 Brit Award for Best British Single, and Estelle was also nominated for Best British Female Artist.[12]Shine was released following the single on John Legend's HomeSchool label, reaching the albums chart in most countries worldwide, including number 6 in the UK.[8]Shine sold enough copies to be certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry, and was shortlisted for the prestigious 2008 Mercury Music Prize. Shine has been certified Gold in the UK, denoting 100,000 copies sold. The album has sold 233,000 copies in the United States as of January 2012.[13]Shine was one of the twelve nominees for the 2008 Mercury Prize.

Estelle has also released a new single with American rapper Busta Rhymes called "World Go Round", from his album Back on My B.S., which was released on 19 May 2009. In February 2009, the song "Star" was released; it is also used for Crystal Light commercials. In 2009, Estelle started working on her upcoming third studio album, All of Me. Estelle made a cameo appearance in the video for new star Mr Hudson for his single "Supernova". Estelle made an appearance on 11 August 2009 episode of The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien. She performed the song "Good Girls Go Bad" with Cobra Starship in Leighton Meester's absence. Estelle also appears on the song "Rollacoasta", co-written by her and American singer-songwriter Robin Thicke, with whom the song appears on his album, Sex Therapy.

In 2011, it was announced that "Break My Heart", featuring Rick Ross, would be released as the new lead single from All of Me. It was released for download on 26 April 2011 and released to US urban radio stations on 17 May 2011.[16][17] The song peaked at 33 on the US Hip-Hop/R&B, the week of 2 July 2011.[18] The following week the song rose to 37.[19] Dual second singles were released in the US and UK. In the US, the second single was announced as being "Thank You" whereas "Back to Love" was issued in the UK. Estelle subsequently confirmed on Twitter that All of Me was released on 28 February 2012 in the US.[20] In the UK, All of Me was released on 12 March 2012.[15]

In 2013, Estelle announced the launch of New London Records, an independent label in partnership with BMG, with whom she's worked as a writer since 2003. Estelle will release the second and third volumes of her three-volume EP Love & Happiness on the new label (the first volume, Love Jones, was released in June), taking creative control of her current and future musical endeavors. "This is a new and exciting move for me," Estelle said in a press release. "BMG has been an awesome partner throughout my career, and with New London we plan to continue bridging the gap between soul, R&B, London and New York -- uniting them through music." Added BMG executive president Richard Blackstone, "Estelle has been a valued member of the BMG family as a writer for some time now. She is a deeply passionate artist gifted with a tremendous voice and has music running through her veins. We are thrilled that Estelle has expanded our relationship and entered into a new partnership with BMG Label Services to release her upcoming album."

In 2014, Estelle performed live at Amber Lounge, the original Formula One after-party, in Singapore. She will return for an exclusive performance at Amber Lounge Abu Dhabi in November.

In March 2014, she premiered the first single off her fourth album True Romance which was "Make Her Say (Beat It Up)."[21] The follow-up single "Conqueror" premiered on July 15th, 2014.[22] After numerous delays, the album was released on February 17th, 2015 in the US.[23]

In 2015, Estelle guest starred in the hit Fox TV show Empire, singing the duet version of her single "Conqueror" with Jussie Smollett, refueling sales of the single (peaking at #42 on the Hot 100 and #15 on R&B) and making it her biggest US hit since her Grammy-winning "American Boy" with Kanye West.

In league with other contemporary British sirens like Amy Winehouse, Adele, Duffy and Nicole Willis,[24] her main musical influences are Mary J. Blige and Ella Fitzgerald. In an interview, Estelle remarked: "Every three years they are talking about the 'British (musical) invasion.' It's been ongoing. It's been an invasion for the last 10 years. We are here! We crossed over. I'm like one of the first black British artists to come over here and win a Grammy. We are here!"[3]